The Cutting Room Floor

One of the most anticipated, and yet at the same time most dreaded, annual events associated with the holidays came last weekend: taking a picture for the Christmas card.

I look forward to it every year with optimism. I believe that we will capture a beautiful picture of our handsome boys that we'll be proud to send out to family and friends. After all, it should be an easy process.

1. Identify undeniably cute models - check.
2. Identify appropriately festive background - check.
3. Make certain background is void of scattered toys, strewn dirty laundry, discarded candy wrappers, wayward dust bunnies - check (after a little maintenance).
4. Wardrobe models in attire without visible spots, tears, dribbles of chocolate milk, etc.; preferably with tops matching bottoms and somewhat coordinated between models - this is where it all started going downhill.

We started out the day with jeans and sweaters. By the time I had my camera in hand mid-morning, Preston had on army green and orange track pants with his red sweater. Not part of the schema I had planned. After a lot of cajoling (because if you know Preston, you know that you cannot make such "demands" and expect a photo shoot to continue), he finally changed back into jeans, but refused to tuck in his undershirt. Point conceded...because I know how to pick my battles.

Four backgrounds, approximately 84 shots, and a few choice words later, we finally got one or two we could feel comfortable canvasing out to our loved ones. Here are a few that didn't make the card:

The irony that always comes along with this day is that I want it to be quick and painless. I want to capture the warmth that truly is in our home 90+% of the time. But inevitably, it always disintegrates into threats, bribes, and reprimands.

Despite the guilt that comes with those moments, I was able to find the silver lining in the storm clouds this time. As we started this process, I vaguely recall Brian making some comment under his breath along the lines of "here we go" as though predicting that a meltdown (by me or one of the boys) was surely in our near future. I responded by playfully telling him to "shut up."

Thirty minutes later, as the boys were jumping around the Christmas tree like rabid monkeys and I was hitting the height of my frustration, Brian said "Boys, be still and let your mom get a good picture for the Christmas cards. You're about to make her curse." Aidan quickly replied, "She already did...I heard her tell you to 'shut up' earlier."

My outlook was suddenly transformed. Seconds earlier I was internally scolding myself for being irritated with their lack of cooperation and threatening them over the Christmas Card of all things. How bad of a mom could I be?! But suddenly I realized that we are at least the tiniest bit "Norman Rockwell." I mean our kid thinks "shut up" is a curse word! So I couldn't have completely #&%*!@ things up yet.

Tis the Season

This is what 30 man-hours of Gingerbread look like. We get to enjoy it for one morning before it goes to the Chamber of Commerce Tree and Gingerbread Festival. It will be displayed throughout the weekend and then auctioned off on Sunday.

Rodney Dangerfield Has Nothing On Us!

A few funny things heard around our house this week (at our expense, of course)...

"Mommmmyyyyy, come here girrrrrelllll!"
Although it hasn't been effective yet, Preston has bellowed this from across the house every day for a week now. I guess he figures that Dolce finally learned to come when called, maybe there's hope for me.

"You Rock, Dad."
"Thanks, Buddy."
"I was just reading the screen."
As Brian's ego swells upon the successful completion of a gig on Guitar Hero, Aidan's deadpan honesty puts him right back in place.

A Visit From Jack Frost

That's Aidan's explanation for the ice storm that hit Corydon this week, and these are some pictures of the damage it had done to our yard as of Wednesday morning. The first is of our back yard, the second of the east side yard, the third and fourth of the bizzilion-year-old tree next to our driveway (note the branch in my parking space). More branches have fallen since and this is only a tiny glimpse of the havoc it has wreaked all over the county. There are branches covering lawns and roadways and elecrical lines dangling everywhere.

Brian woke up around 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday as our bedroom ceiling fan slowed to stop. In four short hours since we had gotten home from a Christmas party and gone to bed, the freezing rain had begun and piled on a coat of ice heavy enough to knock out the electricity all over the county. We were lucky enough that our gas fireplace in the kitchen happened to be on when the electricity went off. So come Tuesday morning, that became our base of operations for the next few days. Other strokes of luck (or graces from God): 1.) we have a gas water heater and 2.) for some reason I parked on the far side of the driveway earlier that day - something I almost never do.

It took the boys about half an hour to comprehend exactly what in the house required electricity. But once they grasped the concept of no tv, no movies, no computer, no Christmas tree lights, and no cooked food, they were really good sports. We put on a few layers of clothes and spent the next couple of days camping out in the kitchen with bb and Poppy's inflatable bed (thank goodness they left it here after their last visit!), lanterns, and candles. The boys played with all kinds of toys that had been forgotten in nooks and corners of the playroom and I did a little catalog shopping for Christmas. Brian stayed busy as the hospital tripled it's duties as it acted as a warming station and the only source in town for a hot meal. He came home every few hours to check on us and deliver coffee or dinner. (It's good to have connections.)

Our neighbors along the other side of the street regained electricity early Tuesday evening. One in particular celebrated (read: gloated) by turning on their outside Christmas lights right away. Our power was not restored until Wednesday evening around 7:00. As soon as it kicked on, Aidan ran through the house testing every light switch. Preston looked at the kitchen light, processed it for a second, and then asked, "So the lights work...that means the...um...um...tv works?" Proving that it apparently takes longer than 48 hours to detox kids from technology.

Neighboring 101

As I took Dolce out Tuesday evening, this caught my eye on the way back in. I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt that the lights are on a timer, and it was just too cold for them to walk outside to override it. Or maybe they believed it would bring us some cheer?

Note to self: when wanting to maintain neighborly relations, do NOT display blatant or frivolous uses of electricity when those in your immediate area are using their deck as a make-shift refrigerator/deep freeze, are feeding their children peanut butter and jelly for at least two meals a day, and are looking at a week's worth of laundry they sooooo wish they would have done on Monday.

PARTYING...KINDERGARTEN STYLE

Here are some pictures from Aidan's fall class party. Mrs. Cox is doing a great job teaching them self-restraint and good manners. It had to be the most tame congregation of five and six year-olds that I have ever witnessed. After making a craft, they all waited patiently to be served their snacks before anyone even touched a bite. This is something we rarely see at our own dinner table, so to see it come naturally to twelve kindergartners was interesting. Then, before they dug in, they said in unison, "Thank you, moms and dads, for bringing all the good snacks. They look yummy!" It was too cute.

There's also a picture of the Frankenstein jello cups we made for the party.

PUMPKIN PATCH

A couple of Saturdays ago, we spent the day at the Center Grove Orchard north of Ames. It was the most awesome pumpkin patch that we've visited. We actually had so much fun with all of the peripheral activities, that we ran out of time to go into the patch to pick our pumpkins. We ended up just choosing a few of the ones already brought in from the field.

The boys rode on a train with individual cars made from 55 gallon drums, "milked" a fiberglass cow, visited a one-room school house and the three little pigs' houses, watched goats, chickens, roosters, etc at the petting zoo, rode pedal tractors, climbed on a retired field tractor, played in the corn pool, maneuvered their way through a straw bale maze constructed inside a straw bale castle, attempted walking on stilts, practiced their lassoing techniques (with a little demonstration from Dad), and scrubbed a tub full of gourds. It was definitely a full day!